Page 14 of His Surrender
We entered the building, and kids were already in the cafeteria eating breakfast. They must have arrived on the early bus.
“Band room’s this way,” Foster said, veering left.
Our steps echoed in the hallway, more audible since the place was mostly vacant at the moment. There weren’t teenagers slamming locker doors, knocking each other out of the way to get to class, or being rowdy in the halls with their friends—I’d definitely been the latter while in school. A total goofball jock.
When we reached the room, the sound of a piano playing came from inside.
My stomach rolled a little, and I had to take a deep breath. Why was I nervous? I only planned to talk to Remi, apologize, and leave. He was nothing but some guy I had wanted to fuck. No one special.
The sooner I got this over with, the better.
Chapter 4
Remi
Music in the morning always perked me up. It helped me start the day off right. I’d gotten to the school early to meet Foster for practice and had been drawn to the piano as I’d waited for him to get there.
As I played, I heard someone enter the band room. My back faced the door, but I assumed it was Foster.
But then I heard a voice I didn’t expect.
“Good morning.”
My fingers went wonky on the keys, making a cringe-worthy sound as I hit the wrong chord, and I flipped around. Jay stood behind me looking way too gorgeous for so early in the morning. Hair brushed back with the exception of that one strand that liked to fall across his brow and clothes that emphasized his impeccable form without being over-the-top. Business casual at its finest.
“I’ll go get my bass clarinet while you guys talk,” Foster said with a sly smile before walking toward the back room.
I stood from the piano and stepped toward Jay. “Why are you here?”
“Wow.” His brows rose. “Nogood morningor even a hello? Not very friendly, Mr. Barnett.”
“Sorry,” I said, though I didn’t feel very apologetic. I’d thought I had made it clear to this infuriating playboy that I wasn’t interested. And now he showed up at my work? The guy had some nerve. “Hi, Mr. Foley. Now why are you here?”
“Ouch.” Jaytskedbefore flashing his pearly whites. Beneath the smile, though, I saw something else. A hardness in his eyes. “I came to apologize for the other night. I shouldn’t have come on so strong, and I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable. I hope we can put this behind us.”
“This isn’t really the best time to discuss it,” I said, glancing at the back room where Foster had been for a bit too long—more than likely eavesdropping.
“I understand.” Jay moved his suit jacket aside and put a hand in his pants pocket. The action was sexy for some damn reason. Then again, everything about the blond was. “That’s all I wanted to say. You won’t be bothered by me again.”
He was giving up so easy? I’d assumed he’d be more relentless in his pursuit. Dodging a bullet should’ve been a relief, yet all I felt was confusion. And disappointment—which made no sense. Because I didn’t want anything to do with him.
“Okay,” I said.
Foster came back into the room with his instrument, pretending to be oblivious. His pink cheeks gave him away. Yep. He’d definitely been listening in.
“Have a good day at school, kid,” Jay said, hugging Foster. “Your dad said he’d be able to pick you up later, but I’ll see you for dinner.”
“Cool.” Foster smiled and went in for another hug before pulling away. It was clear he really loved his uncle, proof that Jay couldn’t be all bad. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” he responded before heading toward the door and leaving. Not looking back once.
“Ready to get started?” I asked, shoving away all thoughts of Jay. Or trying to.
“Yeah.” Foster sat in one of the plastic chairs while I took a seat across from him. “Before we start, though…” His pink cheeks darkened even more. “Never mind.”
“You sure? You can tell me.”
Foster shifted in his chair. “It’s just… my uncle’s a good guy. I don’t know what happened between you two, but he’s a good guy to have in your corner.”
